Did you know that today is World Water Day? What steps are you taking today, and every day, to help conserve water? The reality is that we can all make changes in our lives, both big and small, to help save water. Every drop really does count, so let’s all do what we can.

In 1993, the United Nations officially declared 22 March as World Water Day. It is a global call to action that serves to remind people around the world that we all have a shared, and very urgent, responsibility to conserve water. World Water Day is a universal plea for us all to join forces, take immediate action and not only help solve the current water crisis by saving water wherever we can, but also by helping to grant those less fortunate with access to this precious, and most valuable, natural resource.

One of the most gruelling hardships faced by rural African communities is the extreme lack of clean water. Women and children regularly walk more than a kilometre every day (often repeating this trip multiple times a day) to fetch water for their families. And so, for more than 25 years, &Beyond has worked hand in hand with our social development partner, Africa Foundation, to facilitate the following much-needed water projects in the local communities surrounding our reserves:

Drilling of boreholes and installation of pump facilities thereby creating clean water sources for thousands of people.

Construction of dams and water pan systems in communities with little water storage facilities enabling water supply for agricultural farms, livestock, crop irrigation and firefighting water provision.

Distribution of more than 4,000 hippo water rollers enabling one person to carry up to 90 liters of water.

Installation of Enviro Loos (a waterless, on-site, dry sanitation toilet system that functions without water or chemicals) in communities that do not have efficient sanitation.

Not only do these water bottling plants provide clean, safe drinking water (both still and sparkling) for our guests and staff, but our sleek reusable glass water bottles eliminate the use of wasteful plastic bottles. At &Beyond Ngorongoro Crater Lodge alone, this is an incredible saving of up to 6,000 plastic bottles a month! We aim to have water bottling plants installed at the vast majority of our lodges by the end of 2018.

Let’s all continue to change and transform our habits in order to keep saving water and reducing our plastic consumption.